1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock releasing mechanism of a connector used for connecting wire harnesses in an automobile or connecting electrical devices to wire harnesses, and particularly relates to a lock releasing mechanism of a connector suitable for detaching various three-phase lamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent automobiles are automated and mounted with AV devices and navigation systems. Inevitably, a large number of wiring materials such as wire harnesses, connectors, and so on, are used for connecting electronic devices to each other. On the other hand, running automobiles vibrate in accordance with the conditions of their engines and the roads. Therefore, there is a case where a lock mechanism is provided in an automobile so as to prevent the connectors from becoming disconnected undesirably causing accidents such as circuit breaking and so on.
A connector with a conventional lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14. This connector 61 has a housing 62 integrally molded with synthetic resin, three connector terminals 64a, 64b and 64c buried in terminal receiving chambers 63 (see FIG. 10) formed in the housing 62, electric wires 65a, 65b and 65c connected to the respective connector terminals 64a, 64b and 64c, and a lock mechanism 91 which is described below.
Each of the connector terminals 64a, 64b and 64c which is arranged by using a metal plate as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 and has a base plate 71 and vertical side walls 72 forming a box-like structure. A free edge portion of each of the side walls 72 is bent onto the base plate 71 to form a flange edge 73. A tongue piece 74 formed integrally with the front end of the base plate 71 is extended backward with a gentle slope between the side walls 72. A free end of the tongue piece 74 is bent outward at a right angle to form a releasing operation portion 75.
In addition, a lock lance 76 for engaging with a partner-side plug terminal 81 is provided at the center portion of the tongue piece 74. Further, at the rear end of the base plate 71, one of the electric wires 65a, 65b and 65c is connected by solderless contact through a clamping portion 78 as shown by the dotted lines.
The partner-side plug terminal 81 having a lock hole 82 is inserted between the tongue piece 74 bent backward and the flange edge 73 as shown in FIG. 14.
The partner-side plug-terminal 81 pushes the tongue piece 74 toward the base plate 71 and flexes the flange edge 73 so as to make the flange edge 73 come into contact with the terminal 81. The terminal 81 comes to rest surely between the tongue piece 74 and the flange edge 73. Accordingly, the lock lance 76 is engaged with the lock hole 82 to thereby prevent the partner-side plug terminal 81 from coming off. In addition one of the connector terminals 64a, 64b and 64c is electrically connected to the partner-side plug terminal 81.
Next, releasing the lock between each of the connector terminals 64a, 64b and 64c and the partner-side plug terminal 81 will be described. Lock releasing plates 91 are provided on opposing sides of the housing 62 and outside the connector terminals 64a and 64c as shown in FIG. 10. Each of these lock releasing plates 91 has a shape as if it is cut out from the housing 62 partially so as to be able to be pushed as shown in FIG. 11. As a result, the lock releasing plates 91 can be transformed flexibly toward the inside of the housing 62 by hand.
That is, when each of the lock releasing plates 91 is pushed in the direction of arrow A as shown in FIG. 14, the lock releasing plate 91 is transformed flexibly as shown by the dotted lines so that the releasing operation portion 75 formed on the free end side of the tongue piece 74 is pushed toward the base plate 71. As a result, the tongue piece 74 is transformed as shown by the dotted lines so that the lock lance 76 is removed from the lock hole 82 to release the lock. Then, the partner-side plug terminal 81 can be detached from the connector terminals 64a and 64c.
In the above-mentioned lock releasing mechanism of connector terminals, however, when two partner-side plug terminals 81 connected to a pair of connector terminals 64a and 64c are removed, the lock releasing plate 91 associated with one of the connector terminals 64a and 64c is transformed flexibly toward the inside of the housing 62 so as to remove one of the partner-side plug terminals 81. Then the other lock releasing plate 91 associated with the other one of the connector terminals 64a and 64c is flexibly transformed to remove the other partner-side plug terminal 81. Because the work of releasing must be performed in such a procedure, there is a problem on the workability in maintenance.
In addition, the releasing operation portions 75 of the connector terminals 64a and 64c are disposed outside in order to be associated with the lock releasing plates 91. However, the electric wires 65a and 65c are designed to be led out to the outside of the housing 62 at the point requiring the shortest length of wire. Therefore, the respective configurations of the connector terminals 64a and 64c may be the same in the portions shown by the solid lines in FIG. 12, but they must be reversed in the portions where clamping and connection of the electric wires 65a and 65c are carried out.
For example, when a connector terminal shown in FIG. 12 is the connector terminal 64c, the electric wire 65a of the connector terminal 64a is designed to be led out in the opposite direction of that shown in FIG. 12. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide two kinds of connector terminals. This is a cause of increasing the number of parts and assembling processes, and hence a cause of increasing the cost.
In addition to the above-mentioned connector 61, an example of connector entitled "Multiple Adaptor for Electric Connection between a Plate-like Terminal of an Electrical Apparatus and a Ribbon-like Electric Wire" is disclosed, in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 50-151389, and another example entitled "Connector" is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 4-14775.
However, the multiple adaptor disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 50-151389 is to perform locking and lock releasing by use of a member separate from a in housing. Accordingly, the number of parts is increased. In addition, only one of a plurality of connector terminals cannot be disconnected.
On the other hand, in the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 4-14775, a lock releasing rod is formed integrally with a housing, but it is not to perform lock releasing upon connector terminals disposed on opposing sides at a predetermined distance as in the connector 61.